Head cover



June 3, 1969- D, L, GOLDEN I 3,447,541

HEAD COVER Filed July 2l, 1966 f 4 a n 9:

x, INVENTOR. DAN/EL L. 601.05m

ATTO/6MM United States Patent O 3,447,541 HEAD COVER Daniel L. Golden,Bal Harbour, Fla. (1701 S. Ocean Drive, Hollywood, Fla. 33020) FiledJuly 21, 1966, Ser. No. 566,992 Int. Cl. A41g 3/00, 5/00 U.S. Cl. 132-59 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to head coversgenerally and, more particularly, to head covers of the class including,wigs, toupees, hairpieces and the like.

As is perhaps well known, in the head covering art relating to wigs andhairpieces, there are several types of such head covers designatedgenerally as machine made, hand tie and semihand tie, the latter ofwhich may be of the type which is provided with lateral wetting at allbut the marginal edge of the foundation piece of the head cover. Allsuch head covers are characterized by a foundation which includes a headcover panel to overlie and nest on the head ot the wearer. Specifically,this invention is of an improved head cover which includes, not only afoundation with a cover ypanel to rest on the head of the wearer andextending hair material in a simulated growth pattern, but also anintermediate layer of pigmented filaments, which may be waste filaments,and which filaments are arranged in randomized array on the cover panelot the foundation so that each piece of the hair of the simulated growthpattern is connected to the foundation so as to be supported by thelayer with the layer surrounding that portion ot each piece of hairwhere anchored so that the extending portion of the hair material issupported in a manner similar to that of which normal growth hair issupported by the scalp and short underlying growing hairs.

In the head covering art, which is often referred to generically as thewig art, it has been known to arrange hair material on the exteriorsurface of various types ot foundation pieces, such as skull caps, basesand the like, which are often of net material, but in all events includethe characteristic head cover panel. Also, as is well known in the wigart, as that term is used generically, there are numerous limitations;for instance, parting of hair in wetted or machine made head covers, asopposed to hand made head covers; it is not possible or practical topart the hair for the reason that the direction of the hair material asapplied to the foundation will preclude this.

This invention provides an intermediate layer between the extendingvisible hair portion of a head cover and the cover panel of thefoundation which layer is composed of pigmented filaments looselyarranged in a randomized pattern and loosely connected in overlyingrelation to the cover lpanel so as to be of substantially uniform layerthickness over the same. The layer, which may be referred to as themattress layer, acts as a thickness out of which the simulated growinghair projects and is yieldingly cushioned as by the scalp and short hairgrowth on a human head.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to pro- Patented June 3,1969 vide a head cover and a method of making a head cover whichcomprises a foundation including a iiexible head cover panel andexteriorly carried hair material with the hair material being connectedto the cover panel through a layer of pigmented filament in randomizedarray on the exterior of the cover panel.

It is another object of this invention to provide a head covercomprising a foundation with a head cover panel and a layer otrandomized hackle waste loosely capti vated thereover detining amattress bed and projecting hair material arranged in a simulated growthpattern to extend out from an anchoring portion on each piece of hairwhich is connected to the head cover panel through the layer with theextending portion of the hair overlying and being supported by saidlayer.

It is another object ot this invention to provide a head cover includinga flexible foundation and wetting arranged on the foundation with thewetting being connected to the foundation through a mattress layer ofrandomized pigmented filaments in layer form on the foundation wherebythe wetting is secured in the layer at its connection to the foundationwith the projecting portions of the hair being supported yieldably bythe layers.

It is another object ot this invention t0 provide a method of making ahead cover which utilizes hackling, other waste, or synthetic material,arranged in a mattress type layer as a bed in which hair material isanchored and over which the hair material is supported.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparenthereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodimentthereof:

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a perspective view of a head cover constructed in accordancewith the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a foundation piece for a head cover;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2 and illustrating a layer ofpigmented filaments on the foundation;

FIG. 4 is a view in cross section of a typical net type foundation foran artificial head cover taken along the plane indicated by the line 4 4of FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4 taken along a similar planein FIG. 3 to that indicated in FIG. 2 by the arrowed line 4-4;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 5 With hair material arrangedto overlie the layer and with the portion of each strand anchored to thehairpiece and with the portion adjacent the foundation being surroundedby the layer;

FIG. 7 is a partial interior View of the hair head cover of FIG. l toillustrate a simulated crown area of the type defined by hair materialof the wetting type in a circumposing pattern with the terminal areabeing adapted for a hand Ventilating operation well known in the art todefine a crown;

FIG. 8 is a typical length of wetting material of the type used inmaking head covers of the instant type;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view ot a human head as it would appear ifthe 'longer hairs were removed and only short underlying hair growth isseen; and

FIG. l0 is a View similar to FIG. 5 and illustrating a cover panel, anoverlying mattresses, and an outer panel to hold the layer captivated onthe cover panel.

Before proceeding further with the rdescription, it will be helpful torefer initially to FIGURE 8. ln this figure there is lshown a pluralityof substantially parallel aligned strands of hair material 12, each ofwhich is connected together to form a strip of wetting 14 by means otstitching 16 along one marginal edge of the strip. In

practice, the length of the individual filaments of the hair materialsof each strip are preferably substantially uniform; however, variouslength hair may be utilized on various strips and arranged, forinstance, four to ten inches. In the following description the hairmaterial of the wefted type shown in FIGURE 8 will be described asincluded in the preferred embodiment without limitation totheutilization of other well known hair material arrangements, such as iscommon in the hand tied or semihand made head covering. Foundations inthe wig art are known by various. names such as skull caps, bases, orsimply caps, depending upon the particular use to be made of it, such asin a hairpiece, wig or toupee. Irrespective of the use, all suchfoundations are characterized by a cover panel which in FIGURE 2 hasbeen designated by the numeral 20. The foundation panels are customarilyof net material which is flexible and adapted to conform to the head ofa wearer. In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 6, a layer22 of pigmented material, FIGURE 5, in a randomized array is looselysecured on the exterior of the cover panel by means of loosely connectedthreads 24 which engage the cover panel as at 26 so that the exteriorsurface of the layer is resiliently responsive to deforming pressures,and make as seen in cross section and referred to hereinafter as, amattress layer of pigments filaments. The mattress layer is best seen inFIGURE 3 with the loosely arranged holding threads being indicated indarker lines for purposes of illustration, it being understood that thesame will be of a corresponding or compatible pigment to that of therandomized filaments of the mattress layer. The thickness of themattress layer is relatively thin and of a loose thickness ofapproximately one-sixteenth to live-sixteenths of an inch, preferably.The pigmented ilaments may be of any desired material, synthetic orotherwise, and as will be described in the following paragraph, may becomposed of heretofore wasted products from the hair hackling process orthe waste products of any of the other production techniques in the wigmaking art.

The hair material generally designated by the numeral 32. is connectedto the combination of the cover panel and layer so that the hairmaterial overlays the exterior surface of the combination in a simulatedgrowth pattern. dt is noted that each of the lengths of the hairmaterial is connected by a portion 34 to the cover panel of thefoundation by a suitable anchoring means such as the stitches 36 withthe portion 38 adjacent the anchoring means 36 being surrounded by thethickness of the layer with the extending portion 40 overlaying theexterior surface of the layer. The natural resiliency of the hairmaterial when arranged in a simulated hair growth pattern and connectedto the aforesaid combination causes it to have a `somewhat cantileveredtype of connection with the layer cushioning it and, by reason of thefact that it tends to surround the portion adjacent the connection ofthe individual hair strands, tends to support it and cause it to projectoutwardly similarly to the manner in which growing hair is yieldinglyencouraged into a certain pattern by the thickness of the flesh over theskull and the short new growth hairs on a human head through which thelonger length growing human hair extends. -In FIGURE 9 there is shownfor illustrative purposes a human head with the longer hair beingremoved so that just the brush type layer of short hairs remains; it isthis cushion type brush layer which is simulated by the layer of theinstant invention.

In a preferred embodiment of this invention in wig form, the hairmaterial is of the wefted type earlier described in FIGURE 8 with astrip. Strips are connected as indicated in FIGURE 6 in rows orterraces, and, as in the case of FIGURE l, the rows or terraces are ofthe continuous Archimedes spiral form type which terminate in a crownportion, which as seen in FIGURE 7, with the 4 terminal, generallycircular area being hand ventilated to simulate a crown as is well knownin the art.

IIn the processing of hair in wig making establishments, the process ofpreparing wefting, as well as other processes, there is waste created.For instance, in making wefting or strips of wefting, it is a necessaryoperation to hackle the hair, i.e., comb it and arrange it into parallelalignment. This operation is done by drawing it through combs Which inindustrial applications comprise a. block with upstanding fingersthrough which the hair is drawn until the individual filaments arealigned. In hackling, a waste of disarranged hair accumulates in thecombs which is periodically removed and discarded. Since this hair is ofthe same color and texture as that being hackled, it is a waste ofmating or corresponding material to that which is ultimately used in lahair cover which uses the wefting of the representative batches. In apreferred ernbodiment of the instant invention the filamentous materialof the layer is composed of this waste material which is arranged on thefoundation and in operation moves to assembly with the hackled hair ofeach bat-eh which forms the wefting.

While in the above described embodiment, the foundation is illustratedand described as being composed of a single cover panel, a differenttype of @foundation may be employed. With reference to FIGURE l0, it isseen that an outer panel 20' may be provided to overlie the layer ofWaste material and be supported thereover with the marginal edges of thepanels being in congruent relation and secured together to define apocket 21 therebetween in which the pigmented waste material is arrangedand captivated. Preferably, the outside panel is also of net materialand this has the increased benefit that the stitching of FIGURE 5 is notnecessarily required since the terminal ends of the hair will in timepass through the openings of the net and tend to hold the waste materialin the predetermined and arranged positions of distribution in thelayer. The type of foundation illustrated in FIGURE l0 is the preferredembodiment for hair pieces and toupees.

An important advantage of the instant inclusion of the intermediatelayer is a waste material utilization which conforms in all materialrespects to the appearance of the hair which actually provides theexterior of the head cover.

Further, the hair, by reason of its cantilever type of connection andthe yielding cushiony support provided by the layer adjacent theconnection of the hair material, assumes a more natural lay orappearance and permits of less bulk but resutls in an appearance of morelfullness and requires less exterior hair material for a naturalappearance. Further, this resemblance to growing human hair anddecreased bulk with increased fullness permits of hair arranging by ahair stylist to create fantasy and highly styled coiffures of al'l typesand styles. While in the preferred embodiment the mattress layer is ofthe hackled waste of each batch; other Itype of material of a syntheticor of actual growth type may be utilized. In making head covers inaccordance With this invention it will Ibe apparen-t that -other typesof binders may be utilized to hold the various panels and layers to-Igether, such as the various adhesives which are known. This presentinvention provides a lightness and naturally supported exterior hairgrowth pattern which permits of breathing by reason -of the lightsupporting cushion layer.

What is claimed is:

1. A head cover comprising:

a :liexible foundation including a cover panel to rest on the head of awearer and adapted to conform to the configuration thereof;

a layer of pigmented filaments in randomized arr-ay on the cover panelof the foundation;

means compatibly pigmented to that of the color of said filaments toloosely hold the layer on the cover panel;

hair material arranged on the cover in a simulated growth pattern andextending exteriorly from the cover panel, and

anchoring means to securely hold a portion of each piece of extendinghair to cover the panel;

with each piece of hair extending outwardly of the layer and with theportion adjacent the anchoring means being surrounded by the layer andwith the extending portion of each piece of hair overlaying said layerand resiliently supported thereby when the head cover is on the head ofa wearer.

2. A head cover as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means to looselyhold comprise loose stitches.

3. A head cover as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means to looselyhold comprise an outer panel and means to join said panels with thepanels defining a pocket t captivate the layer.

4. A head cover as set forth in claim 3 wherein the outer panel is ofnet material and the terminal ends of some of the hair of the layerextends through some of the openings of the net to hold the 'layer in apredetermined arranged position in the pocket.

5. A head cover as set forth in claim 1, wherein the hair material is instrips of wetting, each strip comprising a plurality of hairs of similarlength in substantial parallel alignment and stitched together -toextend outwardly of a stitch line.

6. A head cover as set forth in claim 5 wherein said stitch line isadjacent the longitudina'l marginal edge of the strips of wefting.

7. A head cover as set forth in claim '5 wherein said strips are appliedto said cover in a spiral form.

8. A method of making a head cover comprising the steps 0f: distributingpigmented filaments in a randomized array on the exterior of a headcovering panel, loosely Vsecuring the randomized pigmented material toform a bed of substantially uniform thickness over the exterior of thecover panel and securing hair material in the bed to the cover panelwith the distal ends of the hair material overlaying `the bed.

9. A method of making a head cover as set forth in claim 8 wherein thehair material is of wefted material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,789,567 4/ 1957 Jacoby 132-533,165,107 1/1965 lMartin et al. 132-53 3,273,570 9/ 1966 Allison 132-53LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

I AMES W. MITCHELL, Assistant Examiner.

